Hill moving fast on spending bills

Keeping faith with the August debt accord, House Republicans and Senate Democrats moved dramatically closer on 2012 domestic spending Wednesday even as the GOP leadership signaled greater latitude regarding disaster funding without immediate offsets.

“I have never, never said that I’m holding anything hostage or would be for playing politics with this,” House Majority Leader Eric Cantor told reporters, and after experiencing an earthquake and Hurricane Irene in his own district in a matter of weeks, the Virginia Republican told reporters: “Don’t tell me that we don’t know disaster.”

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“I am for making sure people get their money and that there will be no holdup.”

As if eager still for a fight, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced he wants to move ahead with a free standing disaster aid package this month. But already the Senate Appropriations Committee has attached close to $7.3 billion in disaster aid to annual bills covering FEMA, and Corps of Engineers, and the Agriculture Department for the new fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

All three bills moved through the Senate panel Wednesday without strong Republican objections, and the biggest fight of the day was a narrow 15-14 vote upholding an increase in airline security fees paid by passengers to help defray the costs of the baggage inspections.

The measure, costing passengers between $1.50 and $3 per ticket, would raise $280 million and is limited to one year. Republicans were united in their opposition, but Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Cal.), who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, spoke strongly for the proposal which has been long pursued by the White House.

Indeed with surprising ease, Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) had his way otherwise, winning bipartisan approval of his spending allocations for the coming year based on the August accord. Deep differences remain over defense funding, but the lone dissenting vote came from freshman Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), while Inouye enjoyed early positive votes from the his ranking Republican, Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) who sits on the panel.

At the same time, House Appropriations Committee Republicans Wednesday began stepping back from tens of billions in deep cuts previously proposed in core domestic programs covering transportation, housing, labor, health and education.